Today, there are technologies gaining widespread use and allowing a built-in tuner of a personal computer to receive image and sound signals from TV stations so as to convert the received image and sound signals into digital data that are recorded to a suitable storage medium such as a hard disc and retrieved as needed for reproduction.
Illustratively, TV program recording reservation software called Giga Pocket (registered trademark) is run on VAIO (trademark) personal computers produced and marketed by this applicant. The software allows users to enter such information as a channel number or name, a broadcast start time, and a broadcast stop time about a desired TV program by use of input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. The information thus entered causes the software to establish a reservation of the TV program in question for unattended recording.
FIGS. 1 through 3 are explanatory views of conventional unattended recording reservation setting screens for use with Giga Pocket.
When the user enters a suitable key command to start a recording reservation program, the personal computer displays a window prompting the user to set a recording channel, a recording start date and a recording start time of the desired TV program, as shown in FIG. 1. Thus prompted, the user inputs the desired channel, start date and start time into the suitable fields of the window.
After entering the channel, start date and start time into the window, the user clicks on a button “NEXT.” This causes the personal computer to acquire the input recording channel, recording start date and recording start time from the appropriate fields of the window, and to display another window prompting the user to set a recording stop time and a recording mode, as depicted in FIG. 2.
The user inputs the relevant stop time and recording mode into the window of FIG. 2 and clicks on the button “NEXT.” This causes the personal computer to acquire the entered recording stop time and recording mode from the appropriate fields of the window, and to display yet another window calling on the user to confirm the settings made so far, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
If no error is found in the input settings displayed in the window of FIG. 3, the user clicks on a button “COMPLETE” for confirmation. This allows the personal computer to complete the reservation of the desired TV program for subsequent unattended recording.
Recent years have witnessed the introduction of a feature made up of techniques for allowing users at remote locations to set unattended recording reservations by remote control. This feature is convenient when utilized by users who are away from home but still want to get desired TV programs recorded unattended.
Illustratively in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 10-261251, this applicant proposes a method for remotely setting a video deck for unattended recording using an e-mail.
One disadvantage of the proposed method above is that when setting an unattended recording reservation by remote control, the user at a remote location must refer to TV listings in newspapers or magazines before entering the necessary information for the reservation. Looking up the published TV listings prior to input can be a tiresome, time-consuming chore for the user.
Furthermore, if it is desired to change or cancel previously established recording reservations, the operations involved can be inordinately complex.